DP Side Story Episode 17

Deep Pivot Side Story, Episode 17

[Hello. It’s been a while. Are you available for a call?]

2:14 PM

All at once, the smile faded from Seo-joon’s face.

Cha Yeon-woo’s father—Cha Kyung-soo. No, even calling him “father” felt undeserved. Regardless, it was the number linked to that parasite, Cha Kyung-soo’s hired associate. Seo-joon had asked Cheong-oh to take care of it before leaving, but he’d completely forgotten about it.

The car had just pulled into the dessert café’s parking lot. Unlike when he first learned to drive, Yeon-woo now smoothly found an empty spot and parked the car with precision. He unfastened his seatbelt.

“…Yeon-woo, sorry, but I need to take a quick call.”

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

“Could you order some coffee while you’re at it?”

Assuming it was Eric again, Yeon-woo simply nodded and got out of the car without question.

“Thanks, Yeon-woo.”

Seo-joon followed him out but paused, phone raised to his ear, eyes fixed on Yeon-woo’s back as he walked into the café.

— It’s been a while, Lieutenant.

“Yes, it has.”

— If it were anything else, I would’ve left a message. But I thought this needed to be said directly.

“Go ahead.”

— …Mr. Cha Kyung-soo’s whereabouts are currently unknown.

The man paused slightly before speaking. The last Seo-joon had heard of Cha Kyung-soo was that he had left the country.

— He got involved in illegal gambling in Macau a few months ago. It looks like he’s gotten himself tangled up with the Russian mafia.

They say even if a gambler wins the lottery, they’ll just gamble the winnings away—and it was true. Seo-joon was dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected things to spiral this quickly.

In his mind, Cha Kyung-soo’s downfall was supposed to be slow and pathetic—investing in something foolish, getting involved in some half-baked business scheme, eventually withering away from drugs.

But people like that—true bottom-feeders—had far more inventive and incomprehensible ways to destroy their lives.

“Don’t tell me he’s already blown through all that money?”

— No. He barely exchanged any of it. It seems like something else got him into trouble…

Even the man on the other end sounded flustered. What he thought would be a simple surveillance job had taken a wild turn the moment Cha Kyung-soo left for Macau.

— We’re hesitant to get any closer—it’s too dangerous. So we’ll have to wait and see where things go from here.

“Understood.”

Seo-joon looked toward Yeon-woo, who was deep in conversation with the shop assistant by the cake display. He couldn’t hear what they were discussing, but it was fortunate for him—he needed a little more time.

—It might be best to file a missing person report, just in case.

The cautious suggestion came from the other end of the line. Typically, in the case of a disappearance at sea or in the mountains, the court presumes the person dead if five years pass without contact.

Seo-joon’s gray eyes, still fixed on Yeon-woo, narrowed slightly.

“Where was Mr. Cha Kyung-soo last seen?”

—…The Taipa ferry. But there’s no record of him getting off.

“……”

A surge of emotion suddenly welled up inside. Seo-joon turned his head and lightly kicked the car’s tire with the tip of his foot. Frowning, he let out a faint scoff, unable to hide his disbelief.

His mind started racing. The fictitious immediate family member listed in Cha Kyung-soo’s new registry—the imaginary son who doesn’t exist in the real world—would be the one to receive his life insurance and inheritance. And all the necessary arrangements to ensure that money, one way or another, found its way into Cha Yeon-woo’s account.

It was a scenario he had anticipated. But the timing was far sooner than expected.

The investment made into Cha Kyung-soo would soon return—principal and all—sweetened with a bonus in the form of death benefits.

“Would you like to use our cake delivery service?”

Yeon-woo, having been distracted while glancing at Seo-joon outside, quickly snapped back to the clerk’s question.

“Oh—then I’ll change one of them to delivery.”

Smiling kindly, the shop assistant handed over a notepad. Yeon-woo wrote down the center’s address and put Jeong-woo’s name in the recipient field. Then he turned his gaze back toward Seo-joon.

It looked like the call was still going. Seo-joon, squinting slightly under the direct afternoon sun, raised a hand to shade his eyes. He left his sunglasses in the car, Yeon-woo thought, squinting himself out of sympathy.

Even that small expression—his squint under the harsh light, the silhouette of his fingers casting shadows across his face—looked like a scene from a film. Whatever he had just heard on the call, Seo-joon suddenly let out a faint laugh.

But the subtle bitterness in his smile only made his face look colder. It was that same sharp impression that had once intimidated Yeon-woo when they first met.

“Will you be taking one of the cakes with you?”

A classic leading man from an old black-and-white film. Yeon-woo now knew exactly how to describe him. It almost felt like the whole world dulled around him in grayscale.

Tap, tap. Still on the call, Seo-joon absently nudged the car’s tire with the toe of his shoe. Then he looked up—straight at Yeon-woo.

“Will you be taking one with you?”

“…Sorry?”

Yeon-woo quickly turned his head back toward the clerk, only now realizing she’d been speaking. Even though she had already repeated herself twice, her tone remained patient and kind.

“Ah… I’m sorry. Yes, yes. I’ll take it with me. Thank you.”

As Yeon-woo earnestly answered the clerk’s questions—how many candles to place on the cake, how far the delivery was—his mind remained focused on Seo-joon, who was still outside.

“Two Americanos are ready. As for the cake…”

Nodding and thanking the clerk, Yeon-woo finally received the cake box and stepped outside. They hadn’t been apart long, but for some reason, his heart felt impatient.

“……”

Warmth glimmered in the gray eyes that met his. Yeon-woo loved this moment more than anything.

That instant when the desaturated tone of the world burst into color. When the eyes that always seemed tightly locked open wide, filled only with affection for him.

Before he knew it, Yeon-woo found himself smiling back at him like a fool.

“I’ll call you again.”

Seo-joon ended the call with a smile and slipped his phone into his pocket, eyes fixed on his adorable lover. Talk of Cha Kyung-soo possibly drowning at sea, or losing his organs to the Russian mafia—those grim thoughts had already drifted far into the background.

A faint tightness pricked Seo-joon’s eyes. Yeon-woo’s white-blond hair shimmered in the sun, swaying gently in the breeze. His eyes curled into happy crescents. How could someone be this beautiful? It’s like a flower is walking toward me.

As Yeon-woo finally reached him, he handed over one of the Americanos.

“What was the call about?”

“Voice phishing.”

Seo-joon replied curtly while brushing back Yeon-woo’s messy hair. Yeon-woo smiled with a puzzled look and asked,

“Then why did it take so long?”

“I was curious how con artists are making a living these days.”

Then, out of nowhere, he cupped the back of Yeon-woo’s head and kissed him. Yeon-woo’s eyes widened in surprise. He looked around, flustered by the sudden show of affection in public.

Fortunately, it ended so quickly no one noticed—but still, it was out of character for Seo-joon.

“Something good happen?”

“You’re just too cute, Yeon-woo. I can’t stop my lips from going to you.”

With a teasing grin, Seo-joon tried to take the car key from Yeon-woo’s hand.

“I’ll drive from here.”

“Nope.”

Yeon-woo raised his hand above his head, keeping the key out of reach.

“Let’s do rock-paper-scissors. Loser drives.”

So stubborn. Seo-joon took a sip of his Americano and obediently raised his hand. Rock, paper, scissors. Yeon-woo’s scissors met Seo-joon’s rock.

“I’ll drive.”

Yeon-woo had lost, but somehow looked smug about it. Unable to accept the outcome, Seo-joon protested.

“You were late. One more round.”

And then another. And another. Losing five times in a row with laughable consistency, Yeon-woo opened the passenger door for Seo-joon and loaded the cake into the backseat.

“You lost on purpose, didn’t you?”

“There’s no such thing as losing on purpose in rock-paper-scissors, Lieutenant.”

Yeon-woo replied, grinning as he started the engine. Seo-joon narrowed his eyes at him.

“Something’s fishy…”

“Don’t ask. It’s embarrassing.”

Seo-joon had no idea Yeon-woo always alternated between rock and scissors. With a chuckle, Yeon-woo took his free hand and intertwined their fingers.

He turned on the playlist—one that had started reflecting more of his own tastes lately. Seo-joon listened to the mellow music filling the car as he watched Yeon-woo’s profile while he drove.

“……”

There are still so many good things waiting in Cha Yeon-woo’s life.

Seo-joon wanted to take away every shadow that might creep in. No more waiting on uncertain hopes, no sudden disasters or ugly truths—just bright, sparkling moments.

“…Why are you looking at me like that? You’re making me nervous.”

Yeon-woo gripped his hand tighter.

“Because I love you, Yeon-woo.”

Seo-joon leaned in and kissed his cheek. Yeon-woo, eyes still fixed on the road, bit his lip as his ears flushed red.

“Don’t call me that while I’m driving. I might get too flustered and crash.”

When Seo-joon laughed out loud, Yeon-woo ended up laughing too. On their hands, gently entwined, two identical rings shimmered in the sunlight.

Someday, Seo-joon thought, he would move that ring to Yeon-woo’s left hand. He imagined them walking down an aisle lined with white flowers, and though it was an unusually fairytale-like thought for him, he smiled quietly to himself.

The midday sunlight streamed down through the front windshield. The black car cruised peacefully down the open road.

—END.

TL/N: Yayy!! Side story part 1 complete!! The smut was soooo long but worth it Love a power bottom fr!